Brussels Minister of Mobility Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) acknowledged as much last year: Floya, the Brussels-Capital Region’s multimodal app, needs to become better known.
The app cost 6 million euros to develop, but nearly three years after its launch, there are hardly any users. Brussels Member of Parliament Sofia Bennani (Les Engagés) is therefore calling on the news site BRUZZ to pull the plug on it and integrate the new features into a more modern MIVB/STIB app.
Handy app for all your mobility needs in Brussels
The multimodal mobility app Floya was developed by the Brussels public transportation company MIVB/STIB on behalf of the Brussels Region. The app brings together information on all of Brussels’ transportation options on a single platform. It’s a handy app for all your mobility needs in Brussels, instead of using 10 different apps. Partners include De Lijn, NMBS/SNCB, and MIVB/STIB, as well as Dott, Villa, Bolt, and car-sharing providers.
Based on the selected mode of transport, the user receives an overview of availability, schedules, upcoming departure times, traffic delays, battery levels, and more. Users can also book transportation options and make payments.
44,500 active users
But now Brussels MP Sofia Bennani (Les Engagés) has set the record straight. Figures she requested show that after nearly three years, Floya has 147,000 accounts but only 44,500 active users; the goal was to reach 25,000 active users per month. By comparison, the MIVB/STIB app, launched in 2018, had 350,000 monthly users in 2023.
“We should no longer keep Floya alive artificially,” Bennani told BRUZZ. “Brussels residents have already embraced the MIVB/STIB app. That app should become the central mobility platform in Brussels.”
Team of about 12 people
Another source of frustration is that the app is currently maintained by a team of about 12 people, whereas the day-to-day operation of the MIVB/STIB app, which, incidentally, has cost half as much to develop, is handled by just 3 full-time employees.
Bennani therefore advocates fully integrating Floya into the MIVB/STIB app. “We mustn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Some of the features developed, such as integrated ticket sales and the addition of shared mobility, are interesting. We can adopt those, but we don’t need two expensive platforms competing, resulting in enormous costs and few results.”
Evaluation is in progress
Minister Van den Brandt does not deny the disappointing results. She says that getting people to use a new mobility app remains a huge challenge when there are already giant players like Google Maps on the market, even though you can’t buy tickets or book rides on Google Maps.
The technology behind Flora, such as integrations with other services, shared mobility features, and data tools, will continue to be incorporated into the MIVB/STIB’s digital developments, the Minister adds. The MIVB/STIB is currently evaluating whether the app will continue to exist.
